distend

verb

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dis·tend | \ di-ˈstend

distended; distending; distends

Definition of distend

transitive verb

1 : extend the main outlines of the land yet lay clearly distended before them— Norman Douglas

2 : to enlarge, expand, or stretch out (as from internal pressure) : swell a distended abdomen

intransitive verb

: to become enlarged, expanded, or stretched out causing the stomach to distend

Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about distend

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Choose the Right Synonym for distend

expand, amplify, swell, distend, inflate, dilate mean to increase in size or volume. expand may apply regardless of the manner of increase (such as growth, unfolding, addition of parts). a business that expands every year amplify implies the extension or enlargement of something inadequate. amplify the statement with details swell implies gradual expansion beyond a thing's original or normal limits. the bureaucracy swelled to unmanageable proportions distend implies outward extension caused by pressure from within. a distended abdomen inflate implies expanding by introduction of air or something insubstantial and suggests a vulnerability to sudden collapse. an inflated ego dilate applies especially to expansion of circumference. dilated pupils

Did You Know?

The history of the word distend stretches back to the Latin verb tendere - a root whose kin have really expanded our language. To find evidence of this expansion, look to words that include "tend" or "tent"; many have "tendere," which means "to stretch, extend, or spread," in their family tree. Perhaps the simplest example is "tent," which names a shelter made from a piece of material stretched over a frame. You'll also find the influence of "tendere" in "extend," "tendon," "contend," "portend," and "tendency."

Examples of distend in a Sentence

an abdomen distended by disease

Recent Examples on the Web Blebs signal cell suicide; when stressed cells start chopping up their own proteins, their membranes distend. — Laura Mallonee, Wired, "How the Coronavirus Got Its Close-Up, Thanks to Electrons," 19 May 2020 In a bare living room, Huang struggled with a paper folder, his fingers distended like misshapen balloons. — Washington Post, "Chinese metal mines feed the global demand for gadgets. They’re also poisoning China’s poorest regions.," 29 Dec. 2019 In a bare living room, Huang struggled with a paper folder, his fingers distended like misshapen balloons. — Anchorage Daily News, "Chinese metal mines feed global demand for gadgets and poison China’s poorest regions," 30 Dec. 2019 And that power remains with opinion leaders who are, at this point, skilled hands at distending their own cultural anxieties into panics that—time and time and time again—smother history, fact, and common sense into irrelevance. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, "The “Cancel Culture” Con," 23 Sep. 2019 Water in her muscles will convert into vapor, which will collect under Lisa’s skin, distending areas of her body to twice their normal size. — Caitlin Doughty, Popular Mechanics, "What Happens If an Astronaut Dies in Space?," 18 Sep. 2019 On one table lay the body of someone frozen statue-like in death, the stomach distended and a hand jutting stiffly outward. — Sonia Perez D., chicagotribune.com, "Grim task as forensic experts ID Guatemala volcano victims; death toll hits 110," 8 June 2018 One person who saw the corpse of the officer, Major General Ali al-Qahtani, said his neck was twisted as if it had been broken, and that his body was badly bruised and distended. — BostonGlobe.com, "Saudis said to use coercion and abuse on nation’s wealthy," 12 Mar. 2018 Larger cells in a woman’s heart could interrupt its electrical pathways, the authors suspect, and extra pressure against the lungs (due to a woman’s large size) could cause the heart to distend. — Amanda Macmillan, Time, "5 Ways Being Tall Affects Your Health," 8 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.